the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 3 of 5
Isaiah 7:1-25
Having answered God’s call, Isaiah appears to have been forced to wait a long time (at least sixteen years: the length of Jotham’s reign) before beginning his public ministry. If it is our lot to pass through a similar school of patience, let us not be discouraged. Let us leave it to the Lord to choose the time and way which suit Him, in order to use us. Our only responsibility is to be available and obedient (cf. Matthew 8:9).
It is to the king of Judah, wicked Ahaz, that Isaiah is first of all sent. The hour is an ominous one for the tiny kingdom. It is threatened by Rezin, the king of Syria and, sad to say, by Pekah the king of Israel. Through them, Satan tries to overthrow the throne of David and thus oppose the reign of the promised Messiah. But the prophet is entrusted with good news: the two attackers will not be able to carry out their evil purposes. Then Ahaz, in spite of his lack of dignity and false humility, is invited to hear an infinitely greater, more glorious revelation: the birth of Immanuel. He will bring salvation to the house of David, to Israel and to the world. What a beautiful name, Immanuel: God with us (Matthew 1:23)! We find it here like a first beam of light projected by the prophetic lamp in the midst of deep moral darkness (2 Peter 1:19).
